Compounds that induce octane overboosting

Abstract

A fuel mixture includes a fuel and an octane overboosting additive. Methods of preparing and using such mixtures are disclosed. In particular, the mixture includes an additive that provides octane boosting that produces peak octane at or before a 40% blend and produces at least a 1 octane boost at 10% volume of additive to fuel mixture.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A fuel mixture comprising:
 a fuel; and 
 an octane boosting additive present in the fuel mixture at a volume of 5% or more (v/v) of the fuel mixture; 
 the octane boosting additive being a C 5  to C 24  alkenyl compound containing one or more internal carbon-carbon double bonds, and multiple carbon atoms with covalent bonds only to other carbon atoms; 
 wherein the octane boosting additive is selected from the group consisting of: myrcene, geraniol, 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene, alloocimene, limonene, dimethyl prenol, or combinations thereof. 
 
     
     
       2. The fuel mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel is selected from the group consisting of gasoline, oxygenated gasoline, reformulated gasoline, biofuel, biogasoline, biodiesel, Fischer-Tropsch gasoline, petroleum blendstock, blendstock for oxygenate blending (BOB), reformulated blendstock for oxygenated blending (RBOB), conventional blendstock for oxygenate blending (CBOB), premium blendstock for oxygenate blending (PBOB), gasoline treated as blendstock (GTAB), crude oil, fuel oil, distillate fuel oil, diesel fuel, jet fuel, petroleum, a surrogate fuel, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
       3. The fuel mixture of  claim 2 , wherein the fuel comprises gasoline. 
     
     
       4. The fuel mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel mixture is exclusive of an alkenol additive. 
     
     
       5. The fuel mixture of  claim 1 , wherein a Research Octane Number (RON) of the fuel mixture is greater than a RON of the octane boosting additive and the fuel. 
     
     
       6. The fuel mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the octane boosting additive is selected from the group consisting of: myrcene, 2,3 diemethyl-2-butene, or dimethyl prenol. 
     
     
       7. The fuel mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the octane boosting additive is present in an amount of 10% (v/v) to 40% (v/v) of the fuel mixture. 
     
     
       8. The fuel mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel mixture further comprises ethanol in an amount of 5% (v/v) to 50% (v/v) of the fuel mixture. 
     
     
       9. The fuel mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel is a biofuel and the octane boosting additive is a biorenewable compound. 
     
     
       10. The fuel mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the octane boosting additive is present in an amount sufficient to produce an octane boost of at least 1 RON at only 10% volume in the fuel mixture, and the octane boosting additive is further characterized in that it produces a RON enhancement in the fuel mixture that is observed to peak at or before 40% (v/v). 
     
     
       11. The fuel mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the octane boosting additive is a C 6  to C 10  alkenyl. 
     
     
       12. The fuel mixture of  claim 1 , wherein the octane boosting additive is selected from the group consisting of: myrcene, geraniol, 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene, alloocimene, dimethyl prenol, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
       13. A fuel mixture comprising:
 a fuel; and 
 two or more octane boosting additives in an amount of 5% (v/v) or more, the two or more octane boosting additives being selected from the group consisting of: prenol, myrcene, geraniol, 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene, alloocimene, limonene, or dimethyl prenol. 
 
     
     
       14. The fuel mixture of  claim 13 , wherein the two or more octane boosting additives are present in an amount of 10% (v/v) to 40% (v/v). 
     
     
       15. The fuel mixture of  claim 12 , wherein the fuel comprises gasoline. 
     
     
       16. A method of preparing a fuel mixture or preparing and using a fuel mixture, the method comprising:
 blending an octane boosting additive into a fuel in a volume of 5% (v/v) or more of the fuel mixture, 
 the octane boosting additive being a C 5  to C 24  alkenyl compound containing one or more internal carbon-carbon double bonds, and multiple carbon atoms with covalent bonds only to other carbon atoms; 
 wherein the octane boosting additive is sufficient to produce an octane boost of at least 1 RON at only 10% volume in the fuel mixture, and the octane boosting additive is further characterized in that it produces a RON enhancement in the fuel mixture that is observed to peak at or before 40% (v/v). 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , wherein the octane boosting additive is selected from the group consisting of: myrcene, geraniol, 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene, alloocimene, limonene, dimethyl prenol, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising after the blending step: determining a RON of the fuel mixture that is greater than a RON of the octane boosting additive and the fuel. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising combusting the fuel mixture to drive a piston or rotor in a cylinder of an engine.